Visible record



Aug. 1, 1944. T. J. @KAN 2,354,769

VISIBLE RECORD Filed Dec. 2l, 1942 INDEX Here:

Patented Aug. 1, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT` OFFICE VISIBLE' RECORDThomas J. OKane, Park Ridge, Ill.

Application December 21, 1942, Serial No. 469,589

6 Claims. (Cl. 129-16) The invention relates to improvements in visiblerecord equipment in which cards or sheets are suspended in overlappingform and the objects of the improvement are: to provide a more compactmethod of suspending any kind of cards or sheets; to provide a moreexible means of housing the record; to provide a visible record made ofless expensive materials; to provide a visible record that may .be usedin vertical file folders, standard ring books, or in a portablewallet-type carrier, or in other existing ling equipment;'to provide ameans of using existing record cards or sheets in visible, overlappingform without rewriting; to provide for either top or bottom indexing oneither side of the card or sheet; and to provide a means of visiblysuspending cards or sheets of different sizes.

One form of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawingwhich shows the device in different views. Fig. 1 is a. flat view of onestrip showing one arrangement of the tongues. Fig. 2 shows one method ofattaching cards or sheets. Fig. 3 shows a group of strips engaged inoverlapping form. Fig. 4 shows a section through a group of stripsengaged taken along the line :r-m of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a group of cardsassembled. Fig. 6 shows a section through a group of engaged stripstaken along line y-y of Fig. 3.

In the drawing, Fig. 1, A is a strip of material such as paper, having acertain stiffness, and cut so as to form tongues and projections. Fig. 2shows how the card or sheet may be attached to tongues C which may befurnished with an adhesive on the underside. In Fig. 3 the strips areassembled, the tongue D is inserted in opening E of the strip behind andabove, and the projections B are inserted under the tongues C by exingthe strip. Thus the strip is held in position by opposing pressure ofthe upper and lower tongues, and will not move up, down, left or right.To disengage the group of strips at any point, one of the B projectionsis lifted out which releases the others. Fig. 4 is a section through thegroup at a point where the hinge tongue is located. Fig. 6 is a sectionthrough the group taken along a line 1l-1l, Fig. 3, where the lowertongue extends through the strip behind it. Fig. 5 shows the cards inposition as they appear when the record is assembled and the cards areattached.

The record could be used as soon as the cards are attached and assembledbut it is expected that the entire group will be attached to asupporting sheet in the same manner as each strip is attached to the oneabove. It is only necessary to provide slots in the sheet in the correctposition. lThe sheet may be arranged as a page in a wallet, a ringbinder sheet, a correspondence :t folder or any other suitablesupporting device.

it possible to design a wallet type folder which is portable and may beeven carried in a pocket.

If it is preferred to have the indexing information on the top oi eachcard or sheet, the strips are turned upside down and the cards attachedat the bottom. This arrangement is quite convenientrif the record is tobe kept in correspondence folders and permits reference to the recordswithout removing the folder.

The fact that the cards or sheets are attached to the strips means thatany existing cards or record sheets may be attached since there are nospecial die cuttings or other preparation of the record sheet itselfnecessary.

I claim:

1. A visible card index linkage, which comprises in combination, cardholders consisting of sheets of flexible material, said holders havingprojections extending along their upper edges, a plurality cf tonguesstruck from the body of each of said holders. remaining integraltherewith and providing apertures therein, at least one of saidapertures in each holder providing a shoulder to receive and suspend asucceeding holder by its corresponding tongue, and said remainingtongues having index cards secured thereto xedly to permit the same tobe hinged and providing adjacent apertures to receive similarprojections, said linkage being interlockingly held together inalignment by said tongue and projections and each holder and attachedcard being removable as a unit upon outwardly flexing said projectionsfrom their respective apertures.

2. A visible card index linkage, which comprises in combination. cardholders consisting of sheets of iiexible material. said holders havingprojections extending along their upper edges, a plurality of downwardlydepending tongues below said projections struck from the body of each ofsaid holders, remaining integral therewith and providing aperturestherein, at least one of said apertures in each holder providing ashoulder to receive and suspend a succeeding holder by its correspondingtongue, and said remaining tongues having index cards secured theretofixed-a ing adjacent apertures to receive similar projections, saidlinkage being interlockingly held together in alignment by said tongueand projections and each holder and attached card being removable as aunit upon outwardly flexing said projections from their respectiveapertures.

3. A visible card index linkage, which comprises in combination, cardholders consisting of sheets of paper material, said holders havingprojections extending along their upper edges, a

plurality of downwardly depending tongues below said projections struckfrom the body of each of said holders, remaining integral therewith andproviding apertures therein, at least one of said apertures in eachholder providing a shoulder to receive and suspend a succeeding holderby its corresponding tongue, said tongue being disposed below andcentrally between said projections, said remaining tongues having indexcards secured thereto xedly to permit the same to be hinged, andproviding adjacent apertures to receive similar projections, saidlinkage being interlockinglyr held together in alignment by said tonguesand projections and each holder and attached card being removable as aunit upon outwardly flexing said projections from their respectiveapertures.

4. In a visible card index linkage, the improvement which comprises anindex card holder consisting of a sheet of exible material, said holderhaving projections extending along its upper edge, a plurality oftongues struck from the body of said holder, remaining integraltherewith and providing apertures therein, at least one of saidapertures in said holder providing a shoulder to receive a tongue and tosuspend a similar holder, and said remaining tongues being adapted to besectued to index cards and hingedly to support the same, said last namedtongues providing adjacent apertures adapted to receive projections onsimilar holders.

5. In a visible card index linkage, the improvement which comprises anindex card holder consisting of a sheet of flexible material, saidholder having projections extending along its upper edge, a plurality ofdownwardly depending tongues below said projections struck from the bodyof said holder, remaining integral therewith and providing aperturestherein, at least one of said apertures in each holder providing ashoulder to receive a tongue and to suspend 'a similar holder by itscorresponding tongue, and

said remaining tongues providing hinges adapted to hold secured theretoindex cards, said hinged tongues providing apertures to receiveprojections on similar holders.

6. In a visible card index linkage, the improvement which comprises anindex card holder consisting of a sheet of paper material, said holderhaving projections extending along its upper edge, a plurality ofdownwardly depending tongues below said projections and disposedmarginally inwardly of the laterial edges of said holder, and struckfrom the body of said holder, remaining integral therewith and providingapertures therein, at least one of said apertures in said holderproviding a shoulder to receive a tongue and to suspend a similar holderby its corresponding tongue, said holding tongue being disposed belowand centrally between said projections and said remaining tonguesforming hinges to receive in secured position an index card with theapertures adjacent said hinged tongues providing guide openings forprojections on a similar holder.

THOS. J. OKANE.

